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Eamon Murphy was an English grad student before joining DailyFinance in 2011. As associate editor, he has written about Occupy Wall Street, the price of Legos, the value of artwork by Thomas Kinkade, and the human cost of making Apple products. In addition to U.S. culture, material and otherwise, he is interested in world politics, linguistics, and literature.

TripAdvisor asked 9,000 vacationers from eight countries answer questions about their tipping habits, with 69 percent of Germans saying they always add a gratuity while traveling, while 57 percent of Americans said the same.

The other nationalities surveyed were Russians (53%), Brazilians (40%), French (39%), British (39%), Spanish (36%), and Italians (23%).

When asked if they tip on vacation, the percentage of Americans who answered affirmatively increased to startling 99 percent, TripAdvisor said. And 21 percent reported feeling guilty if they don't tip.

The 57 percent figure of consistent tippers beat the 43 percent average of the other seven countries.

TripAdvisor attributes Americans' strong showing in the survey to the fact that "Tipping is a cultural norm in the State and U.S. travelers have a tendency to take their customs on the road whether they are on American soil or traveling abroad." If true, this means service workers around the world benefit from the U.S. system of asking diners to subsidize the wages of waitstaff, whose employers can currently pay them as little as $2.13 an hour before tips.

Americans traveling outside of this system seem confused by different practices in other countries: Only 16 percent said they always knew how much gratuity to leave on their bills. But what they may lack in knowledge, they make up in mental math ability: 85 percent said they calculate tips in their head. Just 18 percent say they sometimes turn to their smartphone. And 7 percent say they carry something called "a tip conversion sheet," which sounds incredible.

When Lance Huntley, an actor and director from San Francisco, visited Istanbul last year, he made sure to diligently follow tipping guidelines.

Good thing he did his homework. At one restaurant, the check included a 15 percent gratuity, and Huntley paid the bill and thanked the waiter. On the way to the door, the waiter stopped him. "You didn't like my service?" he asked. When Huntley expressed surprise, the waiter said that the included gratuity on the check was, "For the moon... the view... the basket of bread. Not for me." Because he had done his research, Huntley knew the waiter was simply trying to get more money from him, so he politely excused himself.

Those who don't read the bill carefully might be at risk of either offending their hosts or emptying their wallet.

Renee H. Kimball, the owner of Tranquilo Bay in Panama, adds a small gratuity to guests' bills, and discusses it with them beforehand. Far from being a hidden resort charge, Kimball says it benefits both the guests and her staff. "We don't want people to feel like they have to pull their wallet out and tip people as they move their bags around," she says.

In Panama, where the standard tip is 10 percent, the added gratuity equals less than 5 percent. Guests frequently add on to the standard gratuity, but in case of cheapskate guests, the staff still receives a small amount. For guests who ask, Kimball also discusses tipping etiquette, but doesn't bring it up unless approached.

It's not just what country you're in that determines whether or not a gratuity is included in the bill. In some places, like all-inclusive resorts, or when larger groups engage in an activity, a surcharge is automatically added. So be sure to check.

Travel expert Casey Wohl, known as The Getaway Girl, says that certain tips are standard in the U.S. "For taxi or limo drivers, a $2 to $3 tip is usually satisfactory, but more is recommended if the driver helps you with bags or provides special service." And let's say you fall down a mountain while traveling and the driver waits with a wheelchair at the airport. That extra bit of service deserves a little something more. Porters, bellmen, parking attendants, and cloakroom attendants should be tipped $1 to $2 each, unless there's a charge for the service.

Hire someone for a helicopter tour of a glacier or for protection in the wilderness? When booking such a tour, ask if the rates include tips, advises Kimball. Tip a couple of dollars per person, per day, if gratuity isn't already included.
The exception? Federal employees like National Park Rangers or National Forest Rangers aren't allowed to accept cash gratuities, even for exceptional service. Gratitude, granola bars, and a drink at the local pub, however, are often most welcome.

Tipping abroad can be vastly different from tipping in the States. In some cultures, it's considered arrogant for Americans to leave money on the table after a meal; in others, it's rude not to. And while it might not be the smartest move to ask a taxi driver from the airport to the hotel how much to give, checking for advice at the local visitors' center can help avoid creating an international incident.

Travelers can recognize and appreciate exceptional service in a variety of ways -- from complimenting a particularly gracious employee to his or her manager to bringing back a trinket from the day's explorations.

Neven Gibbs says that one of the best tips he ever received while working in Las Vegas as a tour bus driver was for helping an elderly man with a broken cane into his hotel. The man gave Gibbs 50 cents. "He said to go buy a good 'seegar' with it," Gibbs recalls. "Sometimes it is the 'thank you' that is worth so much more than the money. Consider who it comes from, and why they gave it."

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